Drill Bit Makes Square Holes, Round Pegs Upset

It’s pretty hard to be impressed by a simple drill bit, but this particular one does something I’ve not seen before. Instead of cutting round holes, this special bit cuts perfectly square ones.

If you’ve ever tried to cut a square hole with a regular drill, you know this is next to impossible, and you usually end up resorting to getting a saw or a file out to finish the job. But this unusual milling bit from Japan’s Dijet can cut squares in metal like nobody’s business. Here, check it out in action:

Pretty amazing, no? It’s hard to tell exactly how it works, but it appears to have some specially angled carbide cutting blades on it which gradually whittle away at metal in 15 degree increments. At least that’s what it looks like in the diagram. I wonder if you’ll ever be able to walk down to the Home Depot and buy one of these, or if it’s only designed for industrial milling equipment.